Candace Bailey . Music and the Southern Belle: From Accomplished Lady to Confederate Composer . Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press . 2010 . Pp. xiii, 255. $29.95.
2011; Oxford University Press; Volume: 116; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1086/ahr.116.2.452
ISSN1937-5239
Autores Tópico(s)Music History and Culture
ResumoIn her new book, Candace Bailey explores the way that southern gender ideology shaped the opportunities and limits for young, elite, white women to make music. Bailey looks beyond the northeastern “cult of true womanhood” to a distinct set of roles and expectations. The “Southern cult of ladyhood” insisted on refinement as the epitome of femininity. To that end, music became integral to the formation of the southern belle but only to make her more “ornamental,” not to train a “true musician” (p. 75). Skill at the piano, voice, guitar, or harp was a clear marker of elite status. Music could also become a powerful device for young women seeking husbands; by singing or playing in the prescribed manner, they could not only demonstrate their beauty and taste but also evoke intense feelings in their listeners. As a performing art, music intrinsically threatened the gendered divisions of public and private. Bailey shows how physical space and context determined the dividing line between refined amateurism and unseemly professionalism for women. A parlor performance was not considered public, nor was a concert by graduating students. White southern women internalized a rationalization of music as a genteel, domestic accomplishment meant to please others. Female singers should cultivate a “sweet” voice versus an opera singer's “big” voice, even when learning simple arias. Furthermore, etiquette strictly constrained the amateur woman musician's attire, comportment, and physicality when performing. Young ladies' instruction thus emphasized being “moderately musical and knowing how to perform properly in company” (p. 89).
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